Bail Payment: Life happens. Missed work. Medical bills. A car that decided today was the day.
For one of my favorite clients, the situation was crazy – he hit a deer on the way to work and got fired because for being late. What a crappy day. No mercy from the boss. Then they tried to withhold his last paycheck. I didn’t lock him up – I got him leads on a new job, helped him brainstorm funds for a replacement vehicle, sent him the link to file a complaint about his pay, and tore up the original payment plan. We wrote a new plan and pushed the payments off. Thirty days later, he had a better car and a better boss, and he resumed payments. No drama, no threats, no bond revocation.
If you’re struggling to make a bail payment, the worst thing you can do is disappear. Instead, pick up the phone and call us.
Do not ghost your bail agent. Do not assume it’ll “work itself out.” And definitely don’t wait until you’re already weeks behind.
Call us. Early.
When we know what’s going on, we can usually work with you. We’re going to help you through a crisis. We’ll work with you to get back on track. Be warned, though – we’re also going to call bullshit if you make excuses week after week. Once basic needs are met, there’s no higher responsibility than paying your bondsman. When it comes to premium payments, don’t smoke it, don’t vacation it, don’t take it to the strip club, don’t buy pay per view with it, and for heaven’s sake, don’t spend it on a $2500 puppy (another true story, by the way). If you’re doing stuff like that, we’re going to take a quick trip to jail and small claims court.
Bail agreements come with responsibilities, but they also come with communication and commitment.
If you’re stuck this week, pick up the phone. Silence makes it worse.
NOTE: North Carolina law requires that changes to the Memorandum of Agreement (the payment plan) be done in writing. You’ll need to sign a new agreement. This protects both of us!
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